Question

Landscape   QUESTION: I'm trying to find a good plant for the back side of my pool cage.  This faces northeast and is sunny and dry area (I water once a week for established plantings, we are in a drought right now)  This area get lots of cold air and wind during January so I need a plant that holds up in wind and frost.  We live in Punta Gorda, midway between Sarasota and Fort Myers.  I would like some color.  Right now I have a Travelers Palm which has damage but did survive the terrible winter we had this year.  along with that are two pigmy date palms and purple fountain grass.  Do you have any suggestions for what I should plant back there?

ANSWER: Hi Mable,
Thanx for your question.  What specifically are you looking for?  Border plants, herbaceous perennials, shrubs, trees, vines or a combination?  To start off with lantana comes in a number of different bright colors and can take on the appearance of a low-growing shrub.  Bougainvillea is glorious with its wide range of colors and although a frost will cause leaf drop, in your part of Florida this won't kill the plant and it will recover rather quickly.  There are a number of colorful ornamental bananas, gingers (heliconia), canna, calla lily, acidanthera, tigridia, agapanthus, dietes (African iris), crape myrtle, purple vitex, Confederate jasmine, hibiscus.  My brother lives in Orlando and they have used Ti plant and croton in the backyard.  It suffered some frost damage this year but they will come back.  None of the plants are hardy in cold climates but they will survive brief cold-spells like you have in Florida.  Bird-of-paradise and oleander are pretty cold hardy for brief periods and add some body and color.  For more information for your local area contact your local extension office.  There will be a horticultural agent there who will provide you with tons of free information.  Here is a link:
http://charlotte.ifas.ufl.edu/
I hope this helps.
Tom

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QUESTION: Hi Tom,
I guess I'm looking for something for color, no vines, I don't want anything that will attach itself to the screening on the pool cage.   Maybe the oleaner kept trimmed to a 3 to 4 ft hedge size would be good?  The bed is about 3-1/2 to 4 ft wide between the back of the cage and the edge of the cement curbing.  I just planted an oleaner in a larger side bed.  It's getting some yellow leaves with black spots...is that just an adjustment thing or something I need to treat?  It is flowering but it's only been in the ground about 2 weeks.

Answer
Hi Mable,
Thanx for the additional information.  I'd go with the oleander.  It's easy to control, it blooms constantly and is relatively trouble free.  Now, with that said, it sounds like the other plant you have has either spider mites or aphids.  Use an horticultural soap and spray the plant and that should do the trick.  You should have not trouble finding the soap at your local nursery, Walmart or DIY.  I hope this helps.
Tom